We have come to love that push button start in the
YFZ450. We know we could save a couple pounds by switching to a
kick start system but we just can't pry ourselves away from that
handy little buttun. That said, you better make sure you have a
good battery to back it up or else you will find yourself with a
tow strap trying to find someone to give you a tug off the start
line...
A number of our readers have
complained of battery issues on the YFZ450 and we ran into the same
thing on ours. The first problem we had was the battery going dead.
We could charge it for hours on end, and we'd go out into the
garage to ride and the battery would barely have enough power to
turn the engine over.
After doing some
research on this issue we decided to not just replace the battery
but replace with one that has a little more juice than the factory
unit. For some help we turned to YUSA. We found that the CBR600
YTZ10S has the same height and length, but was 7/8" wider. Check
out the specs below:
YUSA
Stock- YT7B-BS
CBR600- YTZ10S
Voltage
12
12
Capacity
6.5
8.6
Dimensions
6" x 2 9/16" x 3
11/16"
6" x 3 7/16" x 3
11/16"
Weight
5.0 lbs
7.0 lbs
Amps
0.7
0.9
C.C.A
85
190
Did you notice the difference in the Cold Cranking
Amps (C.C.A.)? That is a huge difference and will help turn the
YFZ450 over quicker and easier than the stock system. Those dead
engine starts will be that much quicker and if you happen to stall
it out on the race course, you can be assured your going to get it
restarted.Installation
To get this battery to fit, the plastic divider
behind the stock battery had to be cut out to allow for the extra
7/8". We did this with a dremmel and side-cutting pliers. This took
some time to get it trimmed out. (If you know of an easier way to
do it, please let us know.)
It didn't look
perfect after we were done with it, but that's better than not
being able to use your brand new quad because of a dead or low
battery, right? I would guess we spent a good hour trimming the
plastic. After the plastic is all trimmed out, the new battery
slides right down in with a nice tight fit.
This is the battery compartment BEFORE
This is the battery compartment AFTER
This is the battery compartment with the stock
battery.
This is the battery compartment with the YUASA
YTZ10S
Summary
Our YFZ450
now starts easier and faster thanks to YUASA. The only down sides
to installing this larger battery is that you have to cut your
plastic, and it weighs 2 lbs more than the stock YFZ
battery.
See you on the race course
...
A young gun from way back, Justin began racing ATVs and writing his impressions for Off-Road.com at 12 years old. Now an experienced hand with a wrench or a computer keyboard, he's a key contributor to several sections of Off-Road.com.
Articles by Justin Waters
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